Molly stuffed the last of the filling in the little leg and stitched it shut. She put her creation on the table with the rest of her stuffed bears and smiled contentedly. Molly had just finished sewing the last of one thousand bears that the North Pole quilters guild had made for children in several hospitals for Christmas. She smiled again and called to Santa. “They’re finished just in time for you to deliver them! Make sure that each child gets a hug for me when you give them their bear.”

Molly’s Bears

Molly patted a bear dressed like a Mountie and turned to give Santa a kiss on his cheek.

“You’ve done a great job, Molly. The children will love receiving these. Jessie, what do you say we go and deliver some toys?” Santa whistled at the dog who looked up from her nap by the fire. She stretched and slowly rose. Jessie wagged her tail furiously and stood by the door waiting for Santa.

The pair flew to several hospitals that afternoon. They fell into a routine where Santa presented the children with the teddy bears and then Santa and Jessie took a picture with each child and his/her new toy. The children fussed over Jessie and hugged Santa before returning to their rooms for treatment. The pair enjoyed talking and playing with the children. At the final hospital for the day a young girl named Matilda came slowly into the room with a nurse supporting her. Unlike the other children she did not smile when given the bear. Instead, she gazed out of the frost covered window with tears rolling down her face. Her once full head of red hair was now covered with stubble and her frame was gaunt. “Santa,” she said. “I don’t want a bear for Christmas. I want to be normal again.” Continue reading Santa Claus meets Matilda→

Jessie whined as Santa opened the big set of steel doors. She could smell the scent of fear in the building. Jessie shook and tried to dig her feet into the walkway as Santa tried to lead her into the building. Jessie could smell that they were in a dog pound. She had lived in one in Thunder Bay before her previous friend had adopted her and didn’t want to be anywhere near another pound.

“Come on, girl. We need to go in. What’s gotten into you?” Santa tugged on the dog’s leash and frowned. Jessie was shaking so hard that her ears jiggled from side to side. He opened a door and gently pulled the dog into the lobby of the building. He walked up to the counter and rang a silver bell that sat on the desk. “Hello, is there anyone here?” called Santa.

A door down the hall scraped open, slammed shut and then a young woman approached the desk. She grabbed a pile of papers off of a table as she passed by. “Fill these forms in. I’ll need them in duplicate,” she said. Continue reading Jessie visits the dog pound→